Progressive's Keys to Progress® Event Provides Cars to More than 100 Military Families

MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sometimes, a reliable set of wheels is all that stands between a veteran and their dreams. This month, more than 100 veterans and their  families will be getting keys to newly-refurbished vehicles as part of Progressive's sixth annual Keys to Progress^® event. The vehicle giveaways will occur on November 8 at 65 locations across the country, including Progressive offices and authorized vehicle repair facilities.

In addition to the more than 100 veterans benefiting from Keys to Progress vehicles, these charities will also receive cars: Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MN), Community Hope (NJ), Vets 4 Vets (Walnut creek, CA), Veterans Village (NV), and Hope Center (Baton Rouge, LA). The cars will help them extend their mission to help veterans.

Progressive works with local National Auto Body Council member body shops and other program supporters to put refurbished vehicles in the hands of deserving veterans.

Progressive's Keys to Progress program offers military families reliable transportation to get on the road and move forward in life. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately forty percent of veterans live in rural areas where transportation options can be limited, meaning it's necessary for them to travel far to receive medical care, reach employment centers, and access other services they need.

For a 2017 recipient, receiving a vehicle didn't only impact her own life, it allowed her to help other veterans and their families:

"If it wasn't for Progressive, I wouldn't have been able to carry out my mission of volunteer work to the Veteran Community and their families," said, Emily Toro, Gold Star Mother and 2017 Keys to Progress recipient. "Since I was given this vehicle I have been able to travel throughout New York helping Gold Star families. I am forever grateful for the vehicle donation and it has inspired me to work even harder."

"We're so proud to be celebrating our sixth year of supporting veterans through our Keys to Progress program. This is just one of the ways we give back to those who gave so much," said Mike Sieger, Progressive Claims group president. "For many veterans, transportation to work, school, medical appointments or even social events can be a hardship and we recognize their need for reliable transportation so they can live the life they deserve."

Progressive teams up with several organizations to make the Keys to Progress program a reality:

• National Auto Body Council member body shops volunteer staff, resources and thousands of hours of collective time to repair the vehicles free-of-charge to veterans.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car provides the first six months of insurance for each donated vehicle. Policies are written by Progressive.
• Veracity Research Co. Investigations, a veteran-owned and operated organization, helps support the recipient selection process each year.
• The Original 1-800-Charity Cars, donates resources to facilitate titling and registration of vehicles for recipients.
• Copart and Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc., a business unit of KAR Auction Services, Inc., national salvage companies we work with, donate some of the vehicles.
• Preferred Warranties Inc., another KAR business unit, provides a Powertrain 12-Month Protection Plan for most donated vehicles
• Pep Boys provides a one-year routine maintenance package – including oil changes, wipers, tire rotation and more – for each donated vehicle, available through any of the nearly 1,000 Pep Boys service locations.  
• Local charities help to identify veteran recipients in each region.

Keys to Progress events can be found in the following cities*:

• Alabama: Birmingham (Hoover)
• Alaska: Anchorage
• Arizona: Phoenix (Tempe), Tucson
• California: Pasadena, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area (Walnut Creek)
• Colorado: Colorado Springs
• Connecticut: New Haven, (Milford)
• Florida: Ft. Lauderdale (Tamarac), Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Miramar, Orlando (Altamonte Springs), Tampa (Riverview), West Palm Beach
• Georgia: Atlanta (Decatur, Marietta, Norcross)
• Iowa: Davenport
• Illinois: Champaign-Urbana
• Indiana: Indianapolis
• Kansas: Kansas City
• Kentucky: Louisville
• Louisiana: Baton Rouge, New Orleans (Metairie)
• Maryland: Baltimore (Glen Burnie)
• Massachusetts: Boston (Westwood)
• Michigan: Detroit (Sterling Heights)
• Minnesota: Minneapolis (Burnsville)
• Mississippi: Jackson (Pearl)
• Missouri: St. Louis (Bridgeton)
• Nebraska: Omaha (La Vista)
• Nevada: Las Vegas
• New Jersey: South Plainfield
• New Mexico: Albuquerque
• New York: Albany (Colonie), Buffalo (Williamsville), New York (Brooklyn)
• North Carolina: Raleigh
• Ohio: Cincinnati (Sharonville), Cleveland (Mayfield Village), Columbus, Dayton
• Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
• Oregon: Portland
• Pennsylvania: Harrisburg (Camp Hill), Philadelphia (Malvern), Pittsburgh (Wilkinsburg)
• Rhode Island: Providence (Johnston)
• Texas: Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth (Arlington), El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio
• Utah: Salt Lake City (Midvale)
• Virginia: Springfield
• Washington, D.C. (Silver Spring, MD)
• Washington: King County (Federal Way), Seattle (Lynnwood)
• Wisconsin: Milwaukee

*Some cities have multiple events and give away more than one vehicle.

What's next? Year seven of Keys to Progress in November 2019! Veterans interested in next year's Keys to Progress event need to be sponsored by a veteran-friendly non-profit organization to submit their request. If unfamiliar with an organization, veterans can visit VA.gov to find a local veteran office or contact their local VFW post. Applications are reviewed starting in May of each program year. To request an application, non-profit organizations may send an email to KeystoProgress@progressive.com.  For more information on Keys to Progress, visit KeysToProgress.com or #KeysToProgress. 

About Progressive
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies makes it easy to understand, buy and use auto insurance. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us whenever, wherever and however it's most convenient - online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, on a mobile device or in-person with a local agent.

Progressive provides insurance for personal autos and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes. Home insurance is underwritten by select carriers, including American Strategic Insurance Corp. and subsidiaries (ASI), our majority owned subsidiaries.

Progressive is the third largest auto insurer in the country; a leading seller of motorcycle and commercial auto insurance; and through ASI, one of the top 20 homeowners insurance carriers. 

Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot® and HomeQuote Explorer®.

The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE:PGR.

SOURCE Progressive Insurance